Mated by Arrangement
by AHChidemebabe
Summary: Marie's life is at risk if she remains un-mated because the council is sacrificing un-mated female werewolves of age. Through a family connection, she somehow ends up in the hands of the new Alpha of Beacon Hills: Derek Hale. Derek/OFC
1. Chapter 1

**_This is the updated version of chapter 1._**

1

THIS OR DIE

Marie stood mesmerized as raindrops slid down the window. She was finishing up dishes from lunch, and frowned at the stormy weather just outside the window. "Claire's sleeping, movie day?" a male voice rang from across the room. Turning, Marie saw her older brother holding up a DVD case. With her niece asleep, Marie sighed in relief. She loved her four year old niece, but the girl was a handful.

"Yeah I'm not one for going outside in the rain. Lazy Sunday sounds like a plan," she grinned back at him. Draping the damp dish towel over the oven handle, she was pleased to be finished with dishes. Her brother Matt turned the TV on and settled into his chair. Like most families, they had preferred spots in the living room. Matt sat in the same chair, and she sat on her couch. It was a routine. "What are we watching?"

"Something I picked up from the rent box at the gas station yesterday. I think it's a comedy," he replied. The DVD menu was displayed on the screen, and Marie pressed play. "Full moon is in about a week," he casually said as the introduction was still flashing across the TV.

"Yeah, so?" she questioned. Matt and her were born werewolves, and had years of practice at controlling the beast side of themselves on a full moon.

"It's the same day as the winter solstice," he said with measured words. Matt could hear his younger sister's heart rate increase at the mention of the winter solstice full moon.

Marie paused the movie instantly and turned to face her brother. "They're coming," she said in a whisper.

"Yes. They're coming." Marie gulped audibly before running a hand through her hair.

"What are my options?"

Derek Hale stood in the abandoned warehouse with a permanent scowl plastered on his face. "Do you guys not speak English or something? These aren't difficult concepts!" His loud voice bellowed throughout the open room. Erika, Boyd, and Isaac stood in defeat. The alpha rolled his eyes and snapped, "Again!" Erika had a look of determination on her face as she charged towards Derek, but was quickly thrown to the side and landed on the unforgiving concrete. Boyd then ran and jumped at his leader, trying to use his brute strength. Derek merely stepped to the side and watched the teenager slide across the floor. Isaac was the last beta to sprint towards Derek. While he was quick, Isaac wasn't quick enough and Derek's hand griped him on the shoulder and threw him to the ground next to his fellow pack mates.

"I now realize I should have given my dad _much_ more credit for training his betas," Derek muttered under his breath. What he wanted most was to go back to the loft and relax for the day. He was tired after an entire weekend of sunrise to sunset of training without much progress. Suddenly, the pocket of his jeans vibrated. The three betas saw their alpha read a text message and stare at the phone in both concentration and slight confusion. Before any of them could inquire what the text message concerned, a very loud pair of shoes made their presence known in the warehouse.

"Derek?" An anxious voice called. Derek shut his eyes and sighed knowing that annoying human all too well.

"Stiles?" he called back with sarcasm. The teenager made his way further into the warehouse and nodded at the three betas in greeting.

"We've got a problem," Stiles announced to everyone.

"Don't we always have a problem?" Isaac said. One glare from Derek and Isaac cut the sarcasm and turned his attention towards Stiles.

"You're uncle is driving me insane. I can't do it man, I can't stay there another minute with him. You've gotta get someone else to babysit while you train," Stiles said almost running out of breath from talking so fast.

"Just, calm down. Someone needs to be there right now. I don't trust him," Derek explained.

"None of us do," Boyd added.

"Exactly. So why stick the helpless human with him, huh? Shouldn't one of you more…qualified individuals be handing that situation?" the sheriff's son used his wit to try to escape the task of watching over the recently resurrected psychopath.

"Drop it," Derek said in a loud voice. "We're done for the day anyways. Let's go back to the loft," he offered.

Boyd and Erika went home, as they had families to keep up an act with. Isaac however, lived with Derek in the loft. Entering the supposed bachelor pad, Derek spotted his uncle Peter on the couch watching some reality TV show. While the older werewolf seemed relatively calm, Derek turned to glare at Stiles who had made a big deal over nothing. "He's watching TV, what's the problem?"

"He won't stop…he…he won't stop bugging me about Lydia," Stiles admitted somewhat embarrassed and quickly made his exit leaving the three werewolves alone.

"Ahh dear nephew. Come to watch Kim and Kourtney with me?" Peter carelessly mentioned from the couch.

"No." Derek moved to the kitchen to grab himself a beer. When Isaac went to grab one too, Derek stared him down.

"Do you _really_ care that I'm not twenty-one yet?"

"I could care less if you're twenty-one, that's _my_ beer," Derek seriously explained. Recognition crossed the beta's face and he slowly shut the refrigerator door. He watched his alpha move towards the large window of the loft and pull his phone out. Isaac wondered who he was texting. Usually, Derek didn't bother with texting he just called people. It was quick and straight to the point. Brushing it off, Isaac went to the couch to watch TV with psychopath.

About half an hour later, a knock sounded at the door. Peter paid the noise no attention, and kept his focus on the dark haired celebrities on the television. Isaac turned to see Derek greet another werewolf. He could tell by the scent. He could also tell that this visitor wolf was an alpha, just like Derek.

"Matt," Derek greeted with genuine pleasure.

"How's it goin' Hale?" Matt responded.

"It's…going," he said looking behind him at Peter on the couch. "Come on in." Isaac stood up from the couch and met the other men in the kitchen where they sat down at the table. "Isaac, this is Matt Remming. Matt, Isaac," Derek tried to introduce.

"I see you're expanding," Matt commented with a smile and nod in Isaac's direction.

"Trying, but this whole training thing isn't easy," he took a swig of his beer. "Not that I don't appreciate the visit, but what's this business you wanted to discuss?"

"Full moon is in a week. The winter solstice full moon." Derek's eyebrows shot up at the other alpha's words.

"My sister, she's still at home with me," Matt started. Isaac didn't understand what the winter solstice and full moon being on the same night meant, but judging from the look on his alpha's face it was pretty serious. "After Annie died, Marie stuck around to help me take care of Claire. Derek, they're coming and you _know_ what they will do if they find her." Isaac could hear Derek's heart rate increase, and watched as he fidgeted in his seat. Downing the rest of his beer, Derek set the empty bottle on the wooden table.

"When will the council come?"

"Probably the day after the full moon, two at the most," Matt said with a sorrowful expression.

"Someone want to explain to me what's going on?" Isaac finally spoke up.

"You haven't even taught your pack basic werewolf politics?" Peter's voice sounded from the couch. The eldest werewolf stood and made his way to the kitchen and started eating a bag of chips that were on the table.

"It hasn't exactly been on the top of my 'to do' list," Derek bit out.

"Mating season, son," Peter said to Isaac. The teenager was still lost and clearly didn't catch Peter's hint.

"There's a council, basically a group of alphas that _govern_ all werewolves. They sort of enforce laws," Derek started to explain.

"Except some of their laws and practices are pretty archaic," Matt chimed in.

"Yes," both Hales agreed at the same time. "But there for a purpose," Peter added.

"If a full moon lands on a winter solstice, the council sees it as a blessing from their gods. To express their thanks, they make sacrifices to the gods," Derek said.

"Yeah, except their guidelines for the sacrifices are severely outdated. You see, a long time ago werewolves would pick a mate at a young age. Similar to how people would get married at young ages. The council never steered away from that practice, and they see anyone who isn't mated by twenty years of age as defying the gods' wishes," Matt said.

"Every time a full moon lands on a winter solstice and they make sacrifices, they sacrifice the unmated females who are of age," Derek said in a surprisingly calm voice.

"The council is law. You can't go against them son, it's suicide," Peter added to the miniature lesson of werewolf politics.

"You want me to take Marie as my mate," Derek concluded out loud.

"Who's Marie?" Peter pondered.

"My sister," Matt answered and turned his attention back to Derek. "You know being the daughter of an alpha, my father, she can only be mated to another alpha. You're the only one I trust that doesn't live halfway across the country. I don't want to lose my sister. Claire doesn't want to lose her aunt." Derek digested Matt's proposal as Isaac tried to make sense of all the new information.

Derek's mind was reeling. He knew the council wouldn't spare Marie. She was of age and still unmated. He'd only met her a handful of times over the years helping Matt with a few projects here and there, but he remembered her. Right after high school Derek was helping Matt move into his new house three towns over. Marie and Matt's pregnant high school sweetheart made lemonade for them while they unloaded the moving truck. The vivid memory left his mind as he snapped back to reality. Marie didn't deserve to be sacrificed by the nut job council just for being single. He knew she was a good person and deserved as good of a life as she could have in their twisted world.

"I'll do it."

Marie continued to keep her tears at bay, but only because her niece Claire was awake and buzzing about her bedroom interrupting her packing.

"Where are you going Aunt Marie?" Claire asked. Being born werewolves, Marie and her brother had known about werewolf politics and expectations their entire lives. It was nothing new, and to be honest Marie was lucky enough to have escaped the council's requirement for as long as she did. She was twenty-three and went three whole years under the radar.

"I'm just going a few towns over. I won't be far."

"But why are you leaving?" The small four year old looked up at her with worried brown eyes.

"I have to sweetie. You're daddy will explain it to you some day," Marie hoped that would satisfy the little girl's questioning. Fortunately, Claire became distracted with some books that were in the corner. Watching her niece, Marie had to bite her tongue to the point of blood. No longer would they be able to snuggle up in her bed and read bedtime stories. Matt would have to take that over. Claire didn't remember much of her mother, considering she was only a year and a half when Annie was killed. Marie was a mother figure to her niece, and now she had to move in with a random werewolf she'd only met a few times in her life.

It was a Monday night, and after Marie and Matt finished dishes it was time for her to. "Here's the address," Matt handed her a small piece of paper with his scribbled handwriting on it. "You'll be okay. We're only thirty minutes away. Claire and I will come visit all the time," Matt tried to say in an encouraging voice. Marie finally let a few tears fall.

"This is just all happening so fast," her voice trembled.

"I know. This was my backup plan. You had time Marie, you had plenty of time and it's okay that it's working out this way. Most women end up mated to jerks and have to move far away. You're less than an hour from home and Derek isn't a complete stranger," Marie glared at her brother's words, "Okay, so he's not super familiar, but Marie he's a good guy. I wouldn't allow this if he wasn't going to take good care of you. You know that. But the council's laws cannot be broken. This is the only way," Matt pulled her in to a brotherly hug and had trouble keeping his own emotions at bay.

Marie thought about one of her brother's friends named Jess who was found out by the council. Jess wasn't sacrificed, but she ended up being mated to a man in Montana who was supposedly unfaithful and wanted nothing to do with her. Thing about mates though, is you only get one. There's no such thing as separating or the equivalent of divorcing in the council's eyes.

"You're right. I'm going to be just fine. Take care of Claire, and don't forget the meeting at the end of the month for starting kindergarten. You have to go, Matt."

"We'll be fine. After the full moon we can come visit, how about that?"

"Sure," she responded weakly. Giving him one last hug, she walked out the door to her already packed car. She had tucked Claire in for bed early that night, and read her one last bedtime story.

Taking a deep breath, she turned over the key and soon backed out of the driveway. The entire drive to Beacon Hills had Marie on edge, nervous, and not fully paying attention to the road. She knew with each passing minute she was a mile closer to her future. Before she knew it, her car was parked in front of the address written on the piece of paper Matt had given her. _'You can do this. It's either this or die. I think I'll pick this. Matt said Derek is a good guy. I rather be with someone my brother trusts than with a complete stranger halfway across the country that will end up abusing me and making my life a living Hell,'_ she gave herself a little pep talk before stepping out of the vehicle to grab two of her bags. She had more in the trunk, but figured she'd get them later. There was no further avoiding it. She was going to meet her new mate.

Each step had her heart pounding louder and louder in her chest. She was almost positive Derek could hear it from inside his loft. Hell, even a human could probably hear it. Mustering up her courage, she finally knocked on the worn door.

A tall guy with blonde curly hair opened the door. He didn't look anything like she remembered, and seemed almost younger than the last time she'd seen Derek Hale. "Can I help you?" he asked her. Her eyebrows scrunched up in confusion.

"Derek?" she questioned while readjusting one of the duffels over her shoulder. _'Oh my God, what have I gotten myself into? He looks like he's still in high school! This is Derek Hale? Alpha of Beacon Hills? He doesn't look very alpha-like. What did Matt arrange?!'_

"Hold on I'll get him," the blonde said much to Marie's relief. He left her standing just outside the doorway holding her bags. A few seconds later, a taller man appeared in her line of sight. _'That's Derek,'_ she thought to herself. He looked familiar. Dark hair, unshaven face, piercing eyes, and he looked much more "alpha-like" than the blonde who greeted her.

"Marie," Derek said with a slight smile and motioned for her to enter the loft. Immediately he took one of the bags for her and set it down.

"Uh, hi," Marie grinned nervously.

"Oh! This is the girl you have to make your mate, right?" Isaac said bluntly making Marie's face turn the shade of a tomato.

"Don't make it awkward or anything," Derek commented with a glare.

"I'll just go get my other bags," Marie said trying to make a quick exit.

"Oh no, Isaac, why don't you get the rest of her stuff. Here," Derek held out his hand for her keys, which she hesitantly gave him. Tossing them to his beta, Derek motioned for Isaac to get going. "Sorry about him," he explained in a softer voice to the woman in front of him.

"It's okay," she quickly replied.

"Here," he said while picking up her bags and leading her down the hallway to his bedroom. It was quite large, very spacious, but poorly furnished. A plain bed was the main focal point of the room, with a TV mounted on the wall across from it. There was on lamp and one blanket on the bed. To her surprise, he had two pillows, but they were both on one side of the bed so she figured he used both of them. Taking a deep breath, she forced a smile to her face. Ideas of making the room more _livable_ were already streaming through her mind. They stood there in awkward silence for a little over a minute before they heard cursing from the entry. Walking out of the bedroom to investigate, they saw Isaac struggling to not drop one of the many bags Marie had brought with her. He only had two hands.

"Enough stuff?" Isaac asked with a teasing smile. With Marie standing in front of him, Derek shot his beta a warning glare.

"I know it seems like a lot, but Matt mentioned you just recently moved in here so I thought I'd bring a few things over," she said with a nervous laugh.

The guys brought her stuff to Derek's room, and she walked around to take in her surroundings. "You must be Marie," a smooth voice said from the stairs. Turning, she saw a middle aged werewolf stalking towards her. Looking to the hallway, she wondered just how many new roommates she would have. "I'm Peter," he reached his hand out for a handshake. She hesitantly returned it, but still felt on edge with another unknown man. "I'm Derek's uncle," he explained. Her hand instantly relaxed at that little piece of information, and Peter noticed.

"Don't," Derek's voice rang through the loft directed at Peter. Marie jumped back, extremely uncomfortable in her new surroundings. She missed Matt and Claire already. Peter smiled and turned to face his nephew. "Can't I introduce myself to my future niece?" Marie's heart rate quickened even more at Peter's words.

Derek heard her pulse rise and quickly became upset that his soon to be mate was uncomfortable. "Isaac why don't you take Peter to the warehouse," he suggested and was thankful that his uncle left without a fuss. "How do you feel about a drink?" he suggested.

Marie let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and said, "I think that's a wonderful idea."


	2. Chapter 2

2

Marie was sitting on the couch in the vacant living room when Derek entered with two beers in his hands. She took the beer anxiously and drained a third of the bottle. Derek's eyebrows shot up, but he took a sip of his own drink as well.

"So, this is your place?"

"Yeah," he replied in a flat tone. _'Well, he's not very talkative.'_

"Isaac and your uncle live here too?"

"Peter is just a temporary, unwanted house guest."

"Oh," she responded with a quiet voice. The dead silence began to grow awkward, and Marie wondered if the man she was sent off to be mated with would ever have a significant conversation with her. Was she doomed to a life of quiet awkwardness? That was the exact opposite of her personality. Ever since she could remember, her brother Matt always made fun of her for talking so much. She was known for rambling on, being loud, and always getting the last word. It was something she knew would never change, and she always thought her mate would be accepting of her flamboyant personality. Derek on the other hand, was quiet, spoke short sentences, and wasn't exactly easy to read.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Derek setting his now empty beer bottle on the small coffee table. "Listen," he started, "I think we should talk about our...situation," he finally said. _'He speaks!'_

"Alright, shoot," she encouraged him. She was giving him the opportunity to continue the conversation. To be entirely honest, she was having a hard time keeping her mouth shut and not saying every question that was racing through her mind about their _situation_.

"I think we can both agree that the council's laws and practices are pretty outdated, but we can't ignore them. I've known your brother Matt for a long time, and I know he trusts me. I don't expect _you_ to trust me, but if you trust your brother, you can be assured I'm not a bad guy." She nodded at his words, and gestured for him to continue. "I'm sure being mated to a random werewolf wasn't your 'picture-perfect' future you probably imagined, but I can promise you one thing. I will not abandon you. We can make the best of this situation, and keep you safe. I know it's awkward, believe me, but without a mate you'll be sacrificed within the week. And I promised myself a long time ago I wouldn't let that happen to anyone I know ever again." She looked at his serious facial expression, and began to wonder what experience he'd had with the council and their sacrifices in the past.

"Thank you," she told him in an honest voice. Her eyes searched his face for any type of clue to hint at what he meant by his last words, but his face remained emotionless. "For the record, anyone my brother trusts has my trust as well," she added.

Setting her bottle down, she decided they'd had enough serious talk for one night. They still had time to get to know each other before needing to worry about the council. As Derek stood, she followed him into the kitchen for another round of drinks. "So, tell me something about yourself. All I know is that you liked the lemonade I made when my brother moved to his new house," she laughed at the memory.

Smirking, Derek handed her another beer. "Well, what do you want to know?"

"Where did you grow up?" She started with an easy question.

"Here in Beacon Hills."

"Siblings?"

"Not anymore," she saw a scowl make its way to his face at the mention of family.

"I'm sorry, what happened?" She was generally curious.

"It's really not something I want to bombard you with tonight. A story for a different day," he answered in a finalized tone.

"Okay, what about the pack? Who will be inheriting me into group?" She asked in a light tone with a smile. Very rarely did she drop subjects like that, but she could tell that family was a sensitive topic.

"Well you've met Isaac," he rolled his eyes and the teenager's first impression he had on Marie, "and then there's Boyd and Erica. They're not around as much lately; things have been tough for them at home with keeping the secret and everything."

"Isaac, Boyd, and Erica. Sounds manageable," she nodded and winked at him. He smirked back and waltzed towards the living room once more. Her playful personality shining through, she was starting to feel slightly more comfortable around him.

"There will be more. We'll need more to be a strong enough pack," Derek said more to himself than her.

Derek watched his soon-to-be mate toy with the label on her beer bottle. "What about you? I don't know much about you either," he said in attempt to bring her out of her shell more. He knew that he wasn't very talkative, but he used to be.

"Well, I've got my brother Matt and my niece, Claire. She's my world. When Claire's mom passed away, I stepped in and helped out the best I could with raising her. I miss them already," she said with a sigh.

"I'm sure they'll come visit," he tried to reassure her.

"Yes. I know Matt will bring her to visit. Or we could go there." She shifted on the couch before saying, "I tried going to college, but wasn't able to keep up with the school work and help take care of Claire. Kids are a full time job, let me tell you." For a split second the thought of a child flashed through Derek's mind. It was expected, or at least the social norm, that mates were the source for expansion of packs. He quickly dismissed the thought before he became too focused on it. When he became an alpha, he inherited certain instincts he didn't have before. The importance of a mate was one of those instincts.

"Maybe you'll have time to go back and try again," he encouraged. He wasn't one for school. In fact, at the mere mention of college applications during his senior year of high school, he ran out of the guidance counselor's office.

"Maybe," she agreed with a small smile. "You know, I'm actually really hungry. What do you have to eat in this place?" He pulled out his phone and handed it to her. Displayed on the screen was a number to the local Chinese takeout restaurant. "Okay, that works for tonight," she said with wide eyes and a nod.

* * *

Thirty minutes later the couple was eating Chinese food in the living room while watching TV. It seemed oddly domestic of them, and Marie couldn't help but smile every so often. She had switched the channel to the local news for them to watch. It was her routine. In the mornings while eating breakfast or getting ready she always had the news on. She also fell asleep with the TV on, and often times had a news channel playing. On nights that she'd stay up later, she'd have the TV switched to a movie station or something different. As she sat in thought about how different her routine would be at Derek's, the door opened into the loft. It was a rather large living space, and the door almost echoed throughout the apartment.

"Peter went to his place for the night," Isaac announced. Marie could hear Derek breathe a sigh of relief.

"Good," he mumbled.

"Smells good," Isaac commented as he sat between Derek and Marie to grab a white carton of Lo Mein noodles. A quick growl from Derek had his beta immediately moving to sit on the adjacent couch instead of theirs.

"Help yourself," Marie encouraged. They'd ordered much more than they could eat, and would still have leftovers. The teenager smiled at her and inhaled his dinner.

"Well it's been a pretty overwhelming day for me, I think I'm going to get ready for bed," she stated and gave both guys a smile before retreating down the hallway.

First, she set about grabbing all of her toiletries from her hastily packed bags. She knew that the guys probably weren't used to having a woman around, and were going to learn to share bathroom space. While still at her brother's packing, she was surprised by the amount of "stuff" she needed. She definitely did not travel light.

She set her bathing supplies in the shower, and found a spot for her toothbrush and hair products. Looking around the spacious bathroom, she decided a bath would help calm her nerves after an exhausting day. A lot of big life changes happened in a short period of time. The sound of running water filled the bathroom, and Marie began getting undressed. Grabbing her favorite shower gel, she hopped into the tub and relaxed in the warm water. Every muscle in her back began to relax, and her mind became less frantic and nervous. Finally alone, she was able to digest being sent to live with Derek to be his mate. Her pulse increased at the thought of completing the process of becoming his mate, and she knew the guys could probably hear her racing heart from the other room.

* * *

Derek sat with Isaac in the living room. "So what's she like?" Isaac questioned.

"Nice," he responded.

"Nice? That's it?" Isaac pushed.

"It's not really your business," Derek said with an eye-roll. He knew the young beta was just curious, but didn't feel like spilling his thoughts like a dramatic teenager.

"So she's your mate now?" Isaac continued. Since he was turned, he'd become a lot more talkative. Becoming a werewolf had brought him confidence.

"Not yet," Derek answered. He could hear water running in the bathroom, and heard Marie entering the bathtub.

"What do you mean, not yet? I thought you and Matt made an agreement?"

"Two alphas making a verbal agreement doesn't make her and I mates."

"Then what does?"

"You ask a lot of questions," Derek responded as he set his Chinese carton on the table. Looking at Isaac, Derek knew his beta wasn't going to leave him alone until he explained himself. "To become mates with someone, there are...rituals...that take place."

"Rituals?"

"Yes. For one, both subjects need to be consenting. Similar to a marriage. And then there's the sex," Derek couldn't help the small smirk that danced across his face. He'd heard stories about how much more intense sex was with a mate versus random one night stands. "The bond between mates intensifies _everything._ To form the bond, you need to _consummate_ the relationship. However, for alphas it doesn't end there." Isaac looked at him with a confused but intrigued expression. "If a female is mated to an alpha, she needs to be marked." Isaac looked towards the hallway that Marie had disappeared down.  
"Marked?"

"Yeah, marked. A bite that doesn't ever completely disappear."

"Why don't betas have to mark their mates? Do betas even have mates?" Isaac was completely new to the werewolf community, and couldn't help himself from wanting to learn more.

"Yes, betas have mates," Derek sounded tired. Standing up, he started to gather the leftover Chinese food and bring it to the refrigerator. "Think of beta mates like a husband and wife. If things don't work out, they can get divorced. Betas can have different mates throughout their lives. Alphas _can't_ get 'divorced.' Once they mate, it's for life. It's also a much stronger bond than the beta mates though." Isaac nodded his head at his alpha's words. "Alphas are also more possessive. That's where the marking comes in. Not only is there an instinct to mark your mate so other werewolves know to stay away, there's also just this possessive urge to mark them as _yours_." Derek seemed unfocused while speaking because he had tuned in to Marie's heartbeat in the bathroom.

"That sounds, complicated."

"It is," Derek agreed. He returned once more to the living room to watch TV. He wanted to give Marie some privacy and let her get settled in.

About an hour later, he heard her breathing even out and knew she was sleeping. He and Isaac had been up watching a show on TV, and had spoke with Boyd on the phone briefly. Without a word, Derek stood up and retreated to his bedroom. He knew sleeping in the same bed for the first time together would probably be uncomfortable for her, so he'd waited until she'd had time to relax and fall asleep. His TV was on with the volume low. Scenes from an old black and white movie danced across the screen. Looking around, he saw that she'd made herself at home and found a place for most of her things.

Her long, chestnut hair was scattered over the extra pillow he'd made sure to grab. She truly was beautiful, and Derek found himself smiling. A real smile. He knew that they're situation wasn't exactly ideal, but he was determined to make the best of it. As quietly as he could, he slipped into a pair of sweatpants and crawled in the vacant spot on his bed. Marie sighed and turned onto her side facing away from him. With a steady heartbeat and even breathing, he knew she was still asleep. Sighing in relief, he reached for the remote to turn the TV off. The second the screen went black, Derek jumped as she said, "leave the TV on," in a warning voice. With widened eyes, he used the remote to power the TV back on. Missing the smirk briefly make its way to Marie's face, Derek gently set the remote down on the nightstand once more.  
"Thank you," she mumbled before appearing asleep again.

 _'Note to self, don't touch the remote,'_ Derek thought to himself before letting his mind go to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

3

The next morning Marie woke to the smell of coffee. She turned around in bed, messing up the blankets and stretching simultaneously. She could hear voices in the kitchen. Forcing herself to get out of the warm bed, she stood and stretched her arms above her head. It was chilly, and she felt a shiver run down her spine before grabbing the small robe she'd brought. Exiting the bedroom and making her way towards the kitchen, she realized there were more than just two voices. "Morning," she greeted groggily as she headed straight for the coffee. She could feel Derek's stare and knew she probably wasn't dressed appropriately to be in front of others, but didn't have the energy to care. She was not a morning person. The sleep shorts and tank top she had on weren't exactly modest clothes, but werewolves weren't exactly modest people. Caffeine in hand she turned to face Derek, Isaac, and someone she hadn't yet met.

"Morning," all three men greeted.

"Marie this is Boyd," Derek said.

"Nice to meet you," she smiled before taking a sip of her coffee. "I'm Marie."

"So I heard," Boyd said with a kind voice.

"We should get to school," Isaac said and grabbed his bag. Boyd nodded and followed him out. Marie looked towards Derek who was standing next to the coffee maker. Her eyes widened slightly at the sight of him. He stood shirtless, and his sweatpants were hanging quite low on his hips. Like most werewolves, he was built and very attractive. Derek smirked at her ogling, and drank his coffee.

"You want some help unpacking the rest of your stuff?" he offered.

"Sure," she responded with a smile. "But first, breakfast." She began opening cupboards until she found one housing just one pot and pan. "You really don't cook much do you?" she said with a laugh.

"No not really. It's usually take out, pizza, or something frozen that is microwavable," he explained and opened the freezer to reveal a stack of pizzas and TV dinners. She couldn't hold back her laughter as she reached for a carton of eggs. "I'd check the date on those," he warned her.

"We're still good for a few days," she answered as she looked at the stamped expiration date. "You like eggs?"

"Of course." She set about making a simple breakfast as he watched her dance around the kitchen. Pretty soon she was sitting on the couch watching the morning news with a plate of eggs. Derek finished his breakfast in about two minutes, but she took her time eating.

* * *

Later that day the couple was strolling down the aisle of the local grocery store. "Don't look so thrilled," Marie stated in a sarcastic voice. Derek sighed and looked at the stocked shelves.

"Grocery shopping isn't really my thing."

"Not alpha werewolf enough for you?" she joked.

"Not exactly," he smiled down at her. They continued through the aisles, and Marie threw in various foods that would stock the apartment.

"Well, look who it is," Derek immediately sighed in frustration and Peter's voice.

"Hi Peter," Marie said. She could feel the tension radiating off Derek beside her.

"Look at you, a domesticated, grocery shopping, wolf," the elder Hale exclaimed.

"Why are you here," Derek demanded.

"It's a grocery store. I have to eat too," Peter gestured to the basked full of chips and snack foods.

"Come on," Derek put his hand on Marie's back urging her to move forward and continue walking.

"See you later," Marie said with a wave. She could tell there were some serious family issues with the way Derek and Peter treated each other, but she also tried to keep the peace and settled for being indifferent towards Derek's uncle. She felt his hand on her back guiding her down the next aisle, and knew he didn't want to stay any longer than necessary.

After paying, they exited the grocery store with a full cart. Derek began loading the bags into his car, and was eager to get home. Just as he sat in the driver's seat, his phone went off. "Hello?"

 _"Something happened at the school. I think you should come up here,"_ Marie could hear Isaac's voice through the cell phone.

"I'll be right there," he replied. First, he dropped Marie off at the loft and the two of them carried all the groceries up in one trip. Derek quickly exited the apartment, leaving Marie to put the groceries away alone. She wasn't sure if he would have let her come with or not. Concerning the pack business, she wasn't aware of what responsibilities would include her. Each alpha was different. For example, some alphas allowed their mate to lead the pack with them equally, while others did not. Some alphas chose to keep their mates as more of a figure-head of the pack, but the alpha still made all of the important decisions.

With that thought, Marie set about putting the groceries away and trying to keep herself busy. She knew they had a limited amount of nights before her and Derek would need to complete the mating process to ensure her safety. Even though they'd had time to talk and get to know each other, it wasn't enough time. He still felt like a complete stranger to her, but she had no choice but to be his mate if she wanted to survive past the full moon.

Having free time, she decided to call her brother. The conversation was short since he was working. He reassured her that Claire was just fine and that they would be by to visit once the full moon passed. Tapping her foot in frustration, she was getting inpatient waiting for Derek. What was she supposed to do during the day? Matt had his neighbor now to nanny for Claire during the week, and that was all Marie was familiar with doing to pass the days.

To be completely honest with herself, she was slightly upset that Derek hadn't invited her to go with to whatever crisis was happening at the school. She knew that his three betas attended the local high school, and they were now part of her pack. She was worried about them, and she had reason to be. Knowing they would probably be hungry when they finally sorted things out, she started cooking to keep herself busy. Cooking was her stress reliever, and her go-to activity for being bored. Lasagna was on her mind, so she started frying hamburger.

She was halfway through layering the pasta when the heavy door to the loft opened. Turning to face the entrance, she saw a very tired looking Derek leading Isaac into the apartment. "Everything okay?" she questioned.

"No. Yes. I don't know," Derek mumbled. He went straight for the fridge and grabbed himself a beer. "Somethin' smells good," he added.

"Hope you two like lasagna."

"I love her," Isaac commented as he sat down at the kitchen table. Derek glared at him, and took a seat as well.

"So what happened?" Marie hesitantly asked.

"Hunters," Derek replied, as if the one word was enough explanation. She stiffened at the mention of hunters. Her and her loved ones had bad experience with hunters, like most werewolves. When she was in middle school, she remembered days that her brother wouldn't let her go outside to play. There was a good six months of increased hunter activity resulting in multiple gruesome deaths in her previous pack. Her eyes glazed over at the memory, and her face became serious.

"Don't worry too much about it," Derek said. He could sense her discomfort.

"Do you have a lot of problems with hunters in this area?" she timidly asked. The topic of hunters made her nervous and frightened from past vicious memories. Isaac and Derek seemed to both notice her change in demeanor.

"Not regularly. It's just a local family, it's under control," Derek tried to reassure her.

"Where did you learn to cook?" Isaac changed the topic of conversation.

"My mother, before she passed," Marie answered with a tight smile.

"I'm sorry," Isaac said. "Well for the record you're a way better cook than Derek." The alpha glared over at his beta and Marie couldn't keep the grin from her face.

"Well thank you, Isaac." Turning back to her work, she listened as Derek and Isaac spoke about Boyd and Erica. Apparently things were getting more and more difficult to hide at home, and there was talk about them moving into the loft.

"I doubt Boyd will move, he was talking about finding his own apartment," Isaac had mentioned.

"In the next year or so I'd like to just get a big enough house. That way we wouldn't be scattered around town." Marie thought about what it would be like to live in a pack house again. As a child she'd lived with her family in a similar fashion, where most of the pack resided together in a large home.

"I like that idea," Isaac commented.

"When I was younger we had a pack house," she quietly added as she continued to prepare dinner. They sat in the kitchen until their Italian feast was ready. Both Derek and Isaac dug in and finished their dinner within minutes. Marie took her time eating as her mind was occupied on the upcoming mating ritual. The days were counting down, and she was sure Derek would bring it up the next night if not sooner. The full moon would appear in four days, and she knew the council would be in town the following day.

* * *

Later that evening, Marie lay in bed watching television. She saw Derek enter the room in sweatpants and wet hair. He looked like he'd just finished a shower. Without a word, he moved the covers to lie down next to her. "There are two more potentials for pack members," he commented and turned to face her.

"Really?" she inquired. The distracting conversation about the pack was a relief to her earlier worry.

"I've got Isaac recruiting," he smiled. "We have such a large territory without the numbers to support it. Other packs will see it to their advantage, and try to claim the land." Marie was mildly impressed with how knowledgeable Derek was with werewolf politics and tendencies.

"How big of a pack do you want?"

"The bigger the better. We need numbers. The problem is finding _loyal_ numbers." For a second, her pulse sped up at the thought of pack expansion. She was well aware it was expected of her to have children at some point, and wasn't sure where Derek stood with the thought of expanding his pack through her. She forced herself to focus on what he said, and push the idea of children to the back of her mind.

"My old pack had that problem. Disloyalty was the reason hunters wiped out my pack. We were on our own after that."

"I'm sorry," he responded. "I never saw Matt or your family any differently for not being in a large pack, and I knew you guys had one at some point. It just wasn't something he seemed keen on talking about."

"Just bad memories better left alone," she tried to smile at him, but a pang of sadness made its way through her.

"Well on the bright side, you're part of one now," he reminded her.

"Yes. I'm part of one now," she chuckled. Derek grinned in return and turned his attention to the TV.

Being just a few inches away from her made him antsy. They hadn't even kissed, yet his nerves were on fire. It was as if the Alpha blood in him was craving her. He also knew that they only had a few days left until the mating ritual would need to be completed. It was a matter of Marie's safety. He watched as she snuggled in to get more comfortable. Despite their situation, he considered himself lucky that he was going to claim her. She was beautiful, and he knew that she would be a great fit. Before falling asleep, his thoughts drifted to his agenda of creating new pack members. The next week would keep him plenty busy.


	4. Chapter 4

4

Marie woke to an empty bed the following morning. She could hear voices in the loft, but decided not to eavesdrop on the conversation. All she identified was that she heard Derek's voice among the chatter. Joisting herself out of her warm bed, she checked her phone for any messages from her brother. She was pleased to find one unread message that contained a "good morning" picture of Claire. Smiling at the four-year-old's happy expression, Marie sent a quick reply before making her way to the closet.

Derek kept most of his clothes in a dresser, so Marie was blessed with plenty of room for her things. Briefly looking out the window at the shinning sun, she decided on a pair of jean shorts and simple, white top. Fashion wasn't really her forte, and she instead aimed for comfort and convenience. After finishing in the bathroom, she wandered in to the kitchen where there was a waiting pot of coffee. Gratefully grabbing herself a cup, she turned to see four guys hunched over the table.

"Morning?" she called in question, wondering if she was interrupting.

"Hi," Derek bluntly responded. She recognized Boyd, but the other two newcomers she'd yet to meet.

"Hi, I'm Stiles," the lanky one introduced himself.

"Nice to meet you, Stiles."

"This is Scott," Stiles added.

"Hey," Scott greeted with significantly less enthusiasm than his friend.

"So what's going on?" she asked and made eye contact with Derek. He shifted uneasily on his feet before sighing.

"Hunters." Hearing that single word made Marie visibly stiffen. Not wanting to appear weak in front of Boyd or Derek, she composed herself and nodded towards the table. Approaching the med, she saw they were studying what looked like a map of Beacon Hills. Putting on a brave face, she gestured for them to continue.

Taking a vacant spot at the table next to Derek, she could feel his eyes on her. It was evident that he could feel her tension. "We're trying to find their lair," Stiles started to explain.

"Their lair?"

"He means where they are hiding or living," Boyd translated.

"The family is local, but they don't work out of their residential home. We're trying to find out where they keep the majority of their equipment," Derek explained.

"Should we really be messing with them? What if they retaliate?" she commented with a hesitant voice.

"We don't need to steal their weapons, but we _do_ need to know as much as possible about their whereabouts and what they can use against us," Scott answered. Stiles and Boyd nodded in agreement.

"Get to school, you guys are already late. I'll see what I can come up with today, and we can search more tonight," Derek instructed. Stiles rolled his eyes, and grabbed his book bag off the floor.

"I can't come tonight, I have a date," Scott blurted out to the group.

"Oh my god," Stiles sighed in exasperation while Derek pinched the bridge of his nose.

"What?!" Scott questioned.

"I don't have the patience for this right now," Derek began, "whoever cares about _not_ being shot down by a hunter, meet here at 8pm tonight." Derek's statement ended their meeting, and the teenagers shuffled out of the loft. Their departure left Marie and Derek alone, "Are you all settled in? Or do you still need some stuff from the store?" he questioned.

"I'm actually okay for right now. I think I'll wait until after the full moon to go shopping. Feeling a little antsy, ya know?"

"Yeah, I know."

"Well, I'm hungry. You want to join me for some breakfast?" She asked.

"Sure." He followed her into the kitchen.

Derek watched as she navigated the kitchen with ease. She seemed to really enjoy cooking. _'No complaints here,'_ he thought to himself. He was not a skilled cook by any means. He was hesitant to make conversation, but was dying to know Marie's connection and experience with hunters. Not only did it bother him that his mate was hurt of affected by hunters in the past, but he also knew she could potentially bring knowledge to the table regarding their situation. "So, you mentioned your old pack had problems with hunters," he carefully stated. Her back stiffened as she flipped eggs.

"Yes."

"You don't have to share if you don't want to," he quickly reassured. Being able to sense her discomfort was making his animal urges fight against holding her and offering comfort.

"No…" she paused, "It's okay. We are going to be mates, and I know you can sense my feelings and emotions. There's no sense in hiding anything." He nodded and took a seat at the kitchen table to listen.

"My father was the alpha of our pack. He was very successful up until a group of hunters moved into town. My mother and a lot of our pack members became anxious and worried. My dad told them to not worry, everything would be fine, and that he had a _plan_." Derek nodded at her to continue. She reached for a couple of plates, which Derek quickly retrieved for her.

"A week after the hunters had arrived one of our pack members was spotted and attacked. She was my cousin, Lisa. Fortunately, she escaped with minimal injuries. Lisa voiced her concerns to my father, and the rest of the pack. Again, he assured everyone that we would be safe. The next night he left with his beta to meet with the hunters. It didn't go so well." She set down two plates of food and took her seat at the table.

"His plan was to try forming an alliance with the group of hunters. We weren't killing machines or anything, we were civil. My dad urged them to move on to the next town, and they actually came to an agreement." She took a bite of her breakfast and poured herself another cup of coffee.

"At the time, we were living in a large pack house near the edge of town. My dad and his beta returned really late that night. I remember my mom and aunt making my brother and I go to bed instead of waiting up for dad. My brother snuck into my room and we stayed up playing some board came until we heard the door slam really loud. I remember smiling and assuming that my dad had returned home. Before Matt and I could open my bedroom door, the screaming started. The hunters had gone back on their word, and massacred our entire pack. They saved my parents for last, making my father watch as his entire pack was murdered." She paused and Derek noted how hard she was fighting to keep her composure.

"My brother and I escaped. I don't remember how, it's all a blur. All I know is that I couldn't stop crying, and that my wrist hurt from Matt dragging me from the house."

For a few moments after her story, all Derek heard was the scrapping of her fork on the plate. She was aimlessly pushing her food around, and occasionally glanced up at him. "I'm sorry," was all he could manage to say.

"Thanks," she responded. In that moment, Derek knew she understood the feeling and experience of true loss. A part of him was strangely comforted that she shared that with him.

"That will never happen again," he finally spoke. Instead of replying, she simply nodded her head in confirmation and gave him a weak smile. "What do you want to do today?" he inquired. She relaxed at the new topic of conversation, but scrunched her eyebrows in confusion.

"I thought you were going to look around for the hunters' hideout?"

"Later. I've also got you to take care of," he commented. She scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"I can take care of myself just fine. Don't let me be a distraction to your priorities."

"You are a priority. And sorry, it's instinct," he admitted. He watched her smile as a slight blush made its way to her cheeks.

"Well if you insist…" she trailed off. "Let's at least be productive. Up for some sparring? Afterwards I can join you on the search for the hunters' hideout," she offered with a kind smile.

"Okay," he nodded in agreement. Marie changed into exercise shorts and quickly made her way back to where Derek was standing.

"Let's go somewhere with a little more room," he instructed. She nodded and followed him to his car. Soon they were nearing the warehouse district of town, which was sparsely populated. Derek pulled the car around back of what resembled a subway or train station of some sort.

"Where are we?" she questioned.

"It's abandoned, don't worry," he answered as they exited the car. "It's an old train station, but it's been vacant for years. We use it as a place to train. There's a lot of room and we don't need to worry about noise."

The couple began sparring, and at first Derek was letting her win. Marie let out a frustrated growl. "Going easy on me won't improve my skills," She commented.

"I don't want to injure you," he shot back. She was sure that instinct was fighting them, urging them to _not_ cause harm to each other, especially Derek's alpha instinct. However, that wasn't going to improve their fighting abilities.

"You won't hurt me, now come on," she encouraged him. She could see the inner battle he was fighting by his expression, and hoped he would drop the alpha instinct long enough for them to get some real practice.

"Fine," he hissed. Before she could register that he made up his mind, she saw him charging towards her. They fought, him actually putting up a fight this time. It didn't take long before he had her pinned to the cement floor, and they were both out of breath. Marie's mind lost focus as she stared back into his green eyes. They were hypnotizing, and she had to look away as a blush once again made its way to her cheeks. At the movement of her head tuning away, she all of a sudden felt his elongated canines grace the exposed skin of her neck. Having taken her by surprise, she gasped and turned to face him once more. His emerald, green eyes from before were now blood red. Her own eyes widened at his actions and he quickly pulled back as if surprised by his own instinctual acts. Slowly, the red coloring faded and he looked away. His hands were still pinning her arms against the cold ground, and she attempted to sit up as he leaned further away. "Sorry," he mitted and immediately released her arms.

"It's okay."

"We're close to the full moon, I guess….I am just on edge for the upcoming…rituals…" he quietly commented.

"Really, it's okay." They remained still and silent until Derek's phone rang. Marie was thankful for the interruption, and studied him as he answered his phone.

"Hello?" he said into the speaker.

 _"I need a ride,"_ she heard Peter's annoyed voice explain through the phone.

"Why?"

 _"Because my car won't work,"_ Peter sarcastically responded. _"Look, can you hurry up? I'm hungry."_

"Where the hell are you?"

 _"Right off highway 33 at the parking ramp."_ Derek hung up the phone without another word and turned back to her still lying on the ground.

"Let's go," he instructed. Despite the awkwardness between them, they quickly made their way to the vehicle and left to pick Peter up.


	5. Chapter 5

5

"No. Why would you automatically assume I did something wrong? Am I really that horrible that you'd think your sweet uncle would antagonize a group of hunters on purpose?" Peter rambled on as he raided the fridge in Derek's loft. Grabbing some leftovers, he helped himself to lasagna.

"Yes," Derek stated without hesitation.

"They put a boot on my car. It wasn't exactly a hostile situation."

"Why?" Marie chimed in.

"I have no idea. Probably trying to pick on the weakest link," Peter supplied with a grimace. He took another bite of the Italian casserole and made a thumbs up towards Marie accompanied by a "yummy" sound.

"What makes you the weakest link?" She questioned.

"Not a conversation suitable for lunch, don't you agree?"

"He killed my sister, turned into a murdering psychopath, I killed him, and somehow he weaseled his way back to the land of the living," Derek answered. Peter rolled his eyes as he finished his lunch.

"Coming back has me only at 50% per say," he commented.

"Back to the point, they just drove up, booted your car, and left?" Derek's dark eyebrow rose in suspicion.

"Yep." Marie watched Derek pace around the loft in thought. Before he could wear a path in the floor, his phone vibrated. She watched him read the text message in concentration before they made eye contact. They'd still barely spoken to each other since the incident at the abandoned train station, and she couldn't help but wonder how much patience the alpha before her had left before the full moon. There was obvious tension between the two.

"Can you do me a favor?" he asked her.

"Sure," she offered. She was glad to be included.

"Will you run to the school and pick up Isaac? He wants to leave. Go ahead and sign him out. I'm going to search around town for these hunters. I'll be back by eight tonight to meet up with everyone," he stated while grabbing his jacket again.

"Uh, yeah, I can do that," she answered. To be honest, she was slightly upset that she wouldn't be joining him as they had originally planned, but understood that they needed to take care of their pack.

"What about me?" Peter questioned.

"You're coming with me. You saw what they looked like up close." Derek's eyes were narrowed as he regarded his uncle.

"Uh-" before Peter could finish his protest, Derek grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and lifted him to his feet. Turning to face Marie, Derek nodded and said, "Thank you," before leaning in and kissing her cheek in a hurry. As the two med left, she was still standing in the kitchen touching the burning area on her cheek he had kissed. A smile reached her lips as the tingling feeling from his kiss lingered.

* * *

Marie entered Beacon Hills High and didn't have much trouble finding the office. She approached the secretary and offered a warm smile. "Hi, I'm here to pick up a student."

"Name?" the secretary asked. She was a middle aged woman with kind eyes.

"Lahey."

"Isaac?"

"Yes ma'am."

"And your name?"

"Marie," she answered politely as she readjusted her purse hanging from her shoulder.

"Ahh, you're the one Mr. Hale called about earlier," she said as she picked up the phone to notify Isaac's teacher to send him down to the office. _'Mr. Hale?'_ she thought to herself. _'Derek must check him out of school often.'_ She continued to ponder in her mind. The secretary hung up her phone and handed Marie a clipboard. "Please just fill this out, and he'll be good to go."

Accepting the clipboard, she grabbed a pen from the desk and proceeded to fill out the form. At the top of the sign out sheet for Isaac, she saw his information which read:

 _Student name: Isaac Lahey_  
 _Student ID: 3375418_  
 _Parent/Guardian: Derek Hale_  
 _Contact: 989-447-5645_

Reading Derek's name over and over again, she shook herself out of her thoughts. Quickly filling out the "time/date" and "reason for absence" lines, she turned to face Isaac with a nervous smile. He seemed surprised that she was there to pick him up instead of Derek. Nodding at her, they exited the office and made their way towards her car. "Not that I'm not appreciative for the ride, but where's Derek?" he smiled at her. She gave him a light grin in return and explained Peter's car incident, and that Derek was out investigating.

They quickly arrived back at the loft, and she texted Derek to let him know they were back. "So, the school has Derek listed as your guardian," she began.

"Yeah, after my dad died, Derek became my legal guardian. It actually works out pretty nice with all the werewolf stuff," he mused in response.

"Oh," she commented. Being Derek's mate, would that make her his partial guardian? Becoming Derek's mate would automatically trigger instinct to care for the pack, and she could already feel the beginning effects of it. "Why did I have to check you out of school? Derek wasn't exactly clear, and I just wrote 'family matter' on the form at the office," she explained.

"Just the full moon coming up. I'm still trying to balance the wolf/human thing, and gym combined with lacrosse practice after school doesn't seem like a good idea," he explained. Marie understood completely. It wasn't easy balancing teenage hormones, werewolf tendencies, _and_ having the fear of hunters in the territory.

"I got it. I've been there," she grinned. "Well Derek said he'd be back by eight for everyone to meet up. Sounds like we're all searching tonight if he doesn't find anything by then."

"Yeah, Erica texted me to say she might be a little late." She'd yet to meet Erica, and was excited to finally see the other female of the pack.

"Sounds good."

By eight later that evening, Derek had returned to the loft. He explained that Peter would not be joining them, and gathered everyone around the big table. "We have an idea where their hideout is, but weren't able to confirm it's them."

"Where is it?" Isaac asked.

"Near the lake on the south side of town."

"Let's go check it out," Boyd suggested.

"Based on the location, and that we actually have an idea of where it is, only two of us really need to go. We just need to know if that's where they're working out of. It's too close to the full moon to be attacking or picking a fight with them," the alpha said. She could see both Boyd and Isaac lean forward in anticipation for who Derek was going to call to join him. Stiles was fidgeting and looked deep in thought at the revelation of the hunters' location. Before Derek could announce who would be accompanying him, the door to the loft opened.

A tall blonde stood in the entry with a mischievous smirk on her face. "Sorry I'm late," she chimed.

"Derek found the neighborhood they are most likely in. Someone's going to go with him to check it out," Isaac explained.

"Perfect, I'm all ready to go," she replied.

"You're not going," Derek said. "Marie, you're coming with me," he gestured towards her.

"Me?" Marie asked. She could year Erica scoff at Derek's decision.

"You have more control and experience. You're coming."

"That's not fair, who the hell are you?" Erica's voice echoed throughout the loft.

"She's Derek's m-" Isaac started to explain but was cut off by Marie.

"Marie. My name is Marie. It's nice to finally meet you," she said as she held out her hand for the blonde to shake.

"What? I'm busy for a couple days and now we're letting just anyone into this pack? You've got to be kidding me," Erica said and brushed past Marie waiting hand. Derek's low growl sounded deep from in his chest, but Erica continued to walk away and made her way towards the kitchen.

"Well then," Marie awkwardly said. _'So much for planning a girl's night,'_ she sarcastically thought to herself.

Derek looked to Isaac and said with a pointed finger, "Fix this before we get back," and gestured at the direction Erica had gone. Isaac nodded and motioned for Stiles to follow. Grabbing Marie's hand, Derek said, "Let's go."


	6. Chapter 6

6

Marie stuck close to Derek as they snuck through the neighborhood. She hadn't explored the south side of town much, and was surprised to find it very industrialized. They took their time peering into multiple buildings and businesses for any sign of the hunters. They were coming up empty handed, and had two close calls of nearly being caught. She was starting to feel the cool, fall air seep into her bones, and hoped they found the right building soon. She was antsy and wanted to take a warm bath to calm her nerves.

Keeping to the shadows, the werewolf du continued their search. Just when Marie was about to say something, Derek stopped in front of another window. "Here," he whispered lowly. He guided her with his hand on her lower back towards the window. Looking through the dirty glass, she saw a group of six men inside the large building. There was a table in the open area, and it had a stock-pile of lethal weapons on it. It appeared to be cleaning or maintenance that they were doing, and she watched them handle each weapon with experienced skill.

Her pulse quickened, and Derek moved her out of the way to get a better view for himself once more. She watched his eyes dance over each hunter as he memorized their appearance. Turning to face her, he rested his hands on her jacket-clad shoulder. "There's an entire warehouse full of their arsenal. I didn't think they'd have this much," he whispered into the night.

"Well, they do. What's our next move?" she replied with determination.

"After the full moon, once the council isn't a concern, we run them out of town."

Derek led the way back to the car, and felt Marie close on his heels. He had no idea that the hunters were as prepared as they really were. Concern for his pack being safe during the full moon worried him. Up until recent months, the hunters were not an immediate issue or threat. However, his uncle's irresponsible actions led to their involvement. Derek knew that turning more wolves wasn't exactly going to help their situation. He also knew that he had another new responsibility in his life. Marie. Completing the mating process would help ease some of this worry. Once mated, he would have a stronger hold on her emotions, physical location, and sense any harm she experienced through the bond. As they drove back to the loft, he made the decision. "Marie," he began. She looked over to him in question. "The full moon is tomorrow night." At his words, she widened her eyes.

"I suppose it is." They made eye contact and he nodded towards her in silent agreement.

Isaac stood next to Stiles in the loft's kitchen. "I wouldn't have done that if I were you," he commented.

"Yeah, sour-wolf's not gonna be too happy," Stiles added.

"Why? What's the big deal?" Erica asked.

"You basically just insulted Derek's mate."

"Derek's what?"

"His mate. Hasn't Derek told you?" Stiles questioned with a smug expression.

"No. I've been busy the past few days. Why didn't you tell me?" she accused Isaac.

"I didn't think you'd flat out insult her. I figured you'd meet her tonight, or that Derek or Boyd filled out in."

"Well I'm out of the loop," she snapped.

"Clearly," Stiles muttered and received a death glare in return.

"What's a mate? How did he find her?" Stiles and Isaac explained to Erica who the council was and that Marie's life was at risk if she didn't have a mate. Stiles proudly gave as much detail as possible, and was actually quite knowledgeable about the whole situation. "How do you even know all of this? You're not even a werewolf," Erica said.

"He picked my brain. I got the information from Derek. Plus, I was here when she came," Isaac explained.

"Oh. So he's going to be her mate out of pity. How cute."

"Erica," Isaac warned.

"Whatever," she sing-songed and loudly called, "Boyd!" The two made their exit leaving Isaac and Stiles in the kitchen.

"You want some lasagna?" Isaac asked, breaking the silence.

"Hell yeah, man. I'm starving."

Derek and Marie entered the loft causing the large door to echo throughout the apartment. He placed his hand on her lower back once more to guide her to the kitchen. She couldn't ignore the sparks his hand caused on her skin. They soon found Isaac and Stiles finishing the last of the lasagna right out of the pan. "Oh man, will you make a whole pan of that just for me?" Stiles asked while running a hand over his stomach. She laughed as Isaac burped in agreement.

"Stiles, you don't live here. Go home," Derek said.

"You're so pushy," Stiles had a tired voice.

"Where are Boyd and Erica?"

"They left," Isaac nodded at his Alpha.

"Well I suppose," Stiles stood up and dramatically stretched.

"Isaac, go to Stiles' house tonight," Derek's tone left no room for argument.

Without question, the beta stood and drug Stiles out of the loft. "What? Why are you sleeping at my house? Stiles asked in a confused voice.

"They want the loft to themselves."

"Oh… _oh!_ " the human understood. "Well our guest room is full of storage stuff right now, so you'll have to take the couch."

"The couch is fine. I've had worse, the beta muttered. As the teenagers pulled away from the curb and headed towards the Stilinski residence, Isaac couldn't help but grin. He was truly happy about Derek and Marie. Actually, he thought it would be good for his Alpha.

Marie stepped out of the bathtub and dried herself off. Unfortunately, the hot bath did little to ease her nerves or anxiety. Taking a deep breath, she gazed upon her reflection in the foggy mirror. _'Just breathe. Don't be nervous. Derek is a good guy. He's going to keep you safe. There's no reason to be afraid of your own mate,'_ she told herself with a curt nod at her reflection. She exited the bathroom to find him talking on his phone. "I'll talk to you tomorrow Scott," he said in a strained voice as his eyes studied the short towel she was wearing. Without waiting for a reply, he hung up the phone and tossed it onto the nightstand. "Hi," he said.

"Hi." She took a few steps closer to him. She watched his eyes flash crimson red as he ran his hand up her bare arm.

"Don't be nervous," he assured. She weakly nodded as her own eyes flashed their golden color. His fingers moved to her back and his other hand cupped her face as he moved closer. Their lips met in a slow and gentle kiss. The gentleness didn't last long before animal urges took over, more so on Derek's part. Their lips danced together as he inched them closer to the bed. Marie couldn't find words to explain how excited her body felt as all sense of worry or nervousness rapidly faded. Sparks ran through her veins at his touch, and she was overwhelmed with the new sensation. His hand resting on her back moved lower towards her hip. Unable to hold back how good she felt at the combination of his roaming hands and kisses, she let out a small moan. At the sound of her pleasure, Derek lifted her onto the bed to hover over her as they continued to kiss. His hands started roaming her towel-covered body. She could feel her body becoming more and more excited. Her senses enhanced, she could also hear his heat race in excitement.

His wolf was begging to take control, and she could see the internal battle he was having. He kept his wolf at bay save for the blood red of his eyes. She reached a hand to the side of his face, and hesitantly touched his cheek. He closed his eyes in content, but was soon leaning towards her mouth once more. She smiled against his lips and commented, "Now who is anxious?" he chuckled in response and moved back as her hands reached to remove his shirt. Once he was shirtless, her brave hands moved towards the button of his jeans. He growled in response, and she grinned. Her hands couldn't stop touching his bare skin, and her eyes couldn't stop staring at the perfect man in front of her. He quickly kicked his jeans off and noticed her gaze travel south. Smirking down at the beautiful woman before him, he slowly removed the towel covering her body. Their hands continued to roam and explore each other's skin. It didn't take long to give in to their urges, and they soon became one. Lost in the blissful high of skin against skin and the increasing speed, she let out a moan of pleasure. Derek's instinct kicked in as he lowered his head to her neck. His canines snuck into her tender flesh, and she became over-stimulated from both pain and pleasure mixing within her.

Afterwards, the couple lay under the sheets still catching their breath. Marie felt wetness under her neck and shoulder, which was probably blood from her mark. Moving her hand to touch it, she saw Derek shoot out of bed and return with a wash cloth. He silently cleaned her neck where his teeth had left their mark. When his fingers ghosted over the area, her body involuntarily shivered in pleasure at his touch. "You okay?" he asked in a husky voice.

"I'm great," she responded, still giddy from their mating.

"Good," he let out a soft chuckle. "You're safe from the council," he added on a more serious note.

"Thank you," her voice was barely above a whisper.

"You don't need to thank me." He set the washcloth on the floor and lay back down next to her.

"You're not so bad," she teased him and turned on to her side to snuggle in to him. He smiled in return and let out a genuine laugh. She quickly felt warm arms embrace her, and he pulled her close to kiss her forehead before closing his eyes. They shortly drifted off to sleep in each other's warmth.


	7. Chapter 7

_**Hopefully you can all ignore the previous spelling errors. This chapter has been edited again 8/12/16 to fix minor spelling!**_

7

*Marie*

Marie woke with a new feeling surging through her. She felt more "whole" and "complete." Unable to keep the grin from her face, she looked at her sleeping mate. Derek's brooding expression was absent. She studied his peaceful appearance, from his messy raven hair to the stubble growing on his face. She let her mind process the previous night's events, and came t

o the conclusion she was pleased with the way things happened.

"How long have you been staring at me?" his sleepy voice asked. A slight blush made its way to her face and she chuckled.

"Do you really want to know?" Before he got the chance to answer, Marie's phone rang. "Hello?" she answered and flopped back onto her pillow.

 _"Marie? Hey, how's it goin'?"_ her brother's voice rang through the speaker.

"Fine, how about you? How's Claire?"

 _"We're good. She misses you. We'll try to visit after the full moon, once the council isn't a threat."_

"Sounds like a plan. Tell her I love and miss her."

 _"Will do. How's Derek?"_

"He's fine. He's been keeping an eye on a local group of hunters." She saw him glance over at her.

 _"Be careful Marie. I'm serious,"_ Matt said in a stern voice. Derek sighed and held out his hand for the phone.

"I am. You of all people know that," she reassured. "Here, Derek wants to talk," she handed her mate the phone.

"Matt, everything's under control. It's just a precaution."

 _"Derek, man, just don't trust them. Please, keep her safe."_ Matt was clearly worried, and he had good reason to be. Derek briefly explained how the hunters were not an immediate threat, and that he was taking every precaution necessary.

"I promise Matt, nothing will happen to your sister. I won't let it."

 _"I trust you,"_ Matt sincerely answered.

Some time later, Marie was flipping through a magazine in the living room while Derek was "running errands." It was the night of the full moon, and Derek had already called the school to excuse Isaac for the day. Luckily, it was a Friday so the teens would have the weekend to recover. She knew that there was a big chance a representative from the council would be paying them a visit to check on her, as well. As if on cue, Isaac waltzed into the loft simultaneously texting on his phone. "Hey," she greeted.

"Hey," he responded. "I think Derek found some new recruits," his eyebrows wagged at the thought.

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, and one of them is a girl. Who isn't a total bitch," he explained. She laughed and returned to her magazine.

"Let's just get through tonight, lover boy."

"Yeah, I know." Their conversation was interrupted as Scott and Stiles entered the apartment.

"What's up?" Stiles's cheery voice asked.

"Hey guys," she sounded surprised, but pleased to see them.

"So, are you ready to wolf out tonight?" Scott rolled his eyes at his best friend's comment.

"I'm joining you guys tonight. Last full moon didn't treat me so well," Scott said.

"Oh, okay. Well make yourselves at home. I'm sure Derek will be back soon." The guys each took a seat in the living room and began playing video games on Derek's play station. She left them to pack her back in the bedroom. Her thoughts drifted to Derek once she saw his dresser drawer open, and she packed a change of clothes for him as well. The plan was to keep everyone contained at the abandoned train station, but from experience she knew things didn't always go according to plan.

She removed her sweatshirt and changed into a comfortable tank top for the evening. Wearing nice or expensive clothes on the full moon wasn't smart. They always got wrecked. Returning to the living room with the small duffel bag of clothes, she took an empty seat on the couch. She then felt three pairs of eyes on her, and looked to see Scott, Stiles, and Isaac all staring at her. "What? Is something wrong?"

"Y-your neck," Stiles stuttered. Scott's face turned a light shade of red, and Isaac's jaw was dropped.

"So that's what it looks like?" Scott asked with genuine curiosity. She realized that they were all staring at her mark. It was still fresh, slightly painful and sore, and extremely sensitive.

"Yeah. Kinda cool, huh?" she smiled and was honestly entertained by the boys' curiosity.

"Yeah, it is," Isaac answered and reached his hand forward to touch it. A warning growl sounded throughout the loft and Isaac's hand immediately dropped. All eyes turned to see Derek with his own eyes flashing red. "Sorry," Isaac whispered. Marie's eyes widened at Derek's warning and dramatic entrance. She was sure it was the protective instinct triggering his growl, but it still sent shivers through her body.

"Territorial much?" Stiles attempted to joke, but received an eye roll in response from the Alpha.

"Boyd and Erica will meet us at the train station. Stiles, go home and _stay_ there tonight."

"Well, if you guys got things handled then," the lanky teenager trailed off in response.

Marie laughed and gathered her bag. "Ready?" she called to the group.

As everyone made their way into the musty station, she sensed tension and stress rolling off her mate in waves. She hesitantly rested a hand on his shoulder. Her eyes asked the unspoken question. "Everything's fine," he muttered. Moving forward, he began to unpack the trunk of chains.

"Scott, are you alright?" Marie asked as she eyed the nervous teenager.

"Yeah. I'm just hoping tonight goes better than last month.

"Wha-" her question was interrupted by Isaac's words.

"He tried to take a bite out of his girlfriend." Scott went rigid in anger at the other wolf's words. Before she could process what happened, Scott and Isaac were fighting each other, rolling around on the cold cement floor. She stepped forward and pulled Scott off Isaac as both teens continued to snarl and swing at each other. Marie's strength was sufficient enough to keep Scott at bay, but she knew that was only due to the fact that he was still fairly young. Once fully matured, males outranked females in physical strength. However, they tended to lack in other areas, such as reasonableness.

While she was able to hold Scott back, the other full-moon-crazed boy was lunging towards her. With the sweep of one arm, Derek slammed Isaac to the ground. "Knock it off," he said in an irritated voice. "We have more important things to deal with than your high school relationship problems." Both teens calmed themselves at the Alpha's words, but continued to glare at each other.

"Scott's joining us?" Erica's voice echoed throughout the station.

"Yeah," Scott huffed in response.

"Mhmmm, you can sit next to me," she purred. Scott began to look extremely uncomfortable before Boyd pulled her away.

"When will we not have to chain ourselves up?" Boyd asked.

"Soon. Maybe even the next moon. With each full moon you gain more control over your wolf," Derek started. "Once you have enough control you'll be able to shift on a full moon without acting like a blood thirsty maniac." Due to the teenagers' lack of experience and control, Marie understood why Derek chained them up. Bitten werewolves went absolutely crazy on their first few full moons. Once control was gained, they would be able to shift like normal. The moon triggered a more primal instinct, and therefore the human side lost control. Chaining them up prevented the shift, as long as proper equipment was used.

She watched her mate secure the restraints on Isaac and Boyd. Making her way to Scott, she carefully strapped him to part of the train car that looked strong enough. "You'll be okay," she whispered with a smile.

"No point in lying to the poor kid. The least you can do is be honest," Erica rudely snapped. Derek moved towards the girl and his eyes flashed their crimson red.

"You are on thin ice. Watch it," he said in a serious voice.

"I was just being honest."

"Shut up, he commanded. She was clearly taken aback by his harsh words and warning, but brushed it off.

Marie remained off to the side of the train car, and was internally smiling at his comment. It bothered her that the other she wolf had absolutely nothing nice to say when she didn't even know her. Not one to dwell on such petty feelings, she focused her attention on their situation.

Marie had lived through hundreds of full moons, but as the night progressed she began to notice some new things. The bond was changing the way her body responded to the moon. She saw Derek standing near her thrashing pack members, and he made direct eye contact with her. It was affecting him too.


	8. Chapter 8

**_Grammar fixed...hopefully. Message or review with any mistakes that drive you nuts! Hope you enjoy! 8/12/16_**

8

*Derek*

As the teens struggled to remain human, their Alpha was dealing with his own struggles. He hadn't had such a hard time fighting his wolf before. Looking into his mate's eyes, he knew it was related to their bond. Her worried gaze met his own, and he saw her bones begin to shift. "Derek," she desperately called before a medium sized wolf stood before him on all fours. He was in shock. Things were definitely not going according to plan. Looking around, he could see Boyd and Erica having the most difficult time. Scott appeared to be having an internal struggle, and was muttering a girl's name over and over. Isaac seemed to be in the best shape of the young werewolves. At Marie shifting, Isaac's eyes were focused on the she wolf pacing the train car.

"Wha-" Isaac didn't even get the chance to question her shift because his Alpha began to loudly growl. Derek's wolf was very close to taking control, and he knew the end result wouldn't be good. Something was wrong; his wolf was going into a frenzy. He anxiously looked over to his beta.

"Isaac, you're going to have-" he interrupted himself with an uncontrollable growl. "I can't hold," Derek never finished his sentence as a large, dark colored wolf stood in his place. His senses heightened even more, and he scanned the chaotic train car. Boyd and Erica became more rabid at the sight of their Alpha and Marie in their wolf forms.

Finally letting his wolf side free, Derek looked to his mate. They were both confused as to why they had involuntarily shifted. On a positive note, it felt damn good to let go for once on a full moon. He immediately stepped closer to her, taking in her scent. He was considerably larger than her, due to his Alpha status and being male. "Shit," he heard Isaac hiss. The snap of Boyd's restraints echoed throughout the station. It didn't take long for him to escape, and soon Derek was chasing after him. It pained him to leave Marie at the station, but his Alpha instincts pushed him to retrieve his pack member.

A mile west of the warehouse district, Derek found Boyd. It took brute force to restrain the teenager, and unfortunately a warning nip on Derek's end. Eventually he herded the young wolf back to the abandoned station. It was nearing the end of the moon's presence, and faint shades of dawn approached.

Boyd sat himself down on a separate bench off to the side, and cuffed himself in place. During his absence, Isaac seemed to have gained control as he was no longer chained up. Instead he seemed to be comforting Erica, while keeping another eye on Marie. His beautiful mate had moved to sit in front of Scott, probably hoping to provide some sort of comfort. At his return, Derek softly growled signaling for her to come to him. He nuzzled her neck, smelling his own scent on her. It caused his wolf to growl possessively and stand in between her and the others. Still lost in the moon's frenzy, he saw his own pack as a potential threat. Apparently, she didn't agree. Sharp teeth nipped at his ear, and he turned to see her wolf walk back over to Scott. Boyd stared in amusement at the exchange, and Isaac tried to hide his smirk. A low growl had both of them suddenly finding the floor remarkably interesting.

He moved to the entrance and huffed in annoyance. His wolf was begging to touch his mate, but he also needed to protect the pack. He stood guard, waiting for the moon's effects to subside. Once everyone had calmed down, lighter fur brushed against his own. He looked down to see Marie huddled into his side. He returned her affection, briefly, before training his eyes on the entrance once more. Isaac began unchaining everyone else, and Derek wondered how much longer he and Marie would involuntarily be stuck in their wolf forms. He'd tried shifting back every few minutes with no success. He assumed she had been trying as well. With the sunrise quickly approaching, Boyd, Erica, Scott, and Isaac were left sitting in the train car exhausted. Erica had actually fallen asleep, and Scott was casually nodding off. Isaac and Boyd however were concentrated on the two wolves sitting at the entrance. "How long will they stay like that?" Boyd's question caused Derek's ear to twitch at the sound.

"I'm not sure, maybe they want to stay like that," Isaac commented. At Derek's angry snort, he continued, "Or maybe not." Marie got up and moved against the front wall. She laid down and let out a small whine. Heartbroken that he couldn't help his mate, the Alpha made his way over to her, trying to give her comfort. They had no idea why they were both stuck in their wolf forms. The inability to use words was frustrating him beyond belief.

Boyd interrupted the silence saying, "I'll take Erica home. Let me know if they're still stuck in a few hours and we can start looking into it. For now, I think we all need some rest," he moved to pick up Erica's sleeping, bloodied form. "And maybe a bath."

"Yeah. Go home and rest. I'll stay with them," Isaac said to both Boyd and Scott. Derek noted how the latter was very quiet. Unsure if it was due to exhaustion of the girl's name he was calling out, he let it go. Boyd sent them an apologizing glance before departing with a sleeping Erica and silent Scott. Derek stood silently by Marie, and waited for the ability to shift to return. A few more moments passed, and he started growing more worried. Marie had fallen asleep. Just as the first ray of sunlight was released, their fur was replaced by skin and they shifted back to human. Isaac quickly grabbed a blanket and tossed it at him to cover his mate's naked form.

"Finally," Derek hissed as he put a pair of jeans on. His mate stared up at him with a confused expression, and subconsciously tightened the thin blanket around herself. He knew they needed answers. Uncontrollable shifting on a full moon when both of them had years of control and experience was _not_ normal. He immediately suspected it was related to their mate bond, but he needed answers. His body was drained of energy, and his beta sensed it.

"What happened, are you guys okay?"

"We're fine," Marie answered in a half awake voice. They all knew it was a lie. Seeing his mate's exhaustion sink in, similar to his own, he picked her up.

"Let's go home," he declared. Isaac followed him to the vehicle, and opened the car door to help him set her in the seat. The lack of energy was worrisome. He figured it was related to shifting _against_ their will, and couldn't imagine how she was feeling. Being an Alpha he had higher stamina and more energy by nature. If he was so wiped out, he knew she was in worse shape. It alarmed him that she was so complacent with being carried and plopped into the car. Even though they were still learning about each other, he knew she wasn't normally so quiet. He also knew that if she had the energy to do so, she would have surely analyzed everything and wanted to talk about it. Her personality didn't exactly scream quiet and go with the flow. She was outgoing, much more talkative than him, curious, and good-hearted. She would want to know what the hell happened just as much as he did.

*Isaac*

The car ride back to the loft was silent. He sat in the back seat watching Derek frantically glance over at Marie sleeping. The blanket she was wrapped in fell from her shoulder, so he pulled it back up. Isaac didn't fully understand the details of being mates with somebody, but he knew it had definitely changed his Alpha over the course of merely a few days. "I'm not dying, I'm just tired. You can both stop staring at me," Marie tried to joke. Isaac smiled, but his Alpha remained serious. A few minutes later they were at the loft. Derek swiftly carried his mate up the stairs, and Isaac followed. The couple disappeared down the hallway to their room. He was left alone. Knowing his body was tired, he quickly went to his own room only to collapse on his bed. He had intentions of changing clothes, possibly showering, and snuggling up underneath the covers. However, at the soft relief of his mattress, just passing out seemed like a good idea also.

Before he gave in to sleep, a knock sounded at his door. He hadn't realized he even shut it. Grunting in response to the knock, he opened one eye to find Derek standing with his arms crossed. "Thank you," he praised, "for stepping up, and helping out tonight. Looks like you've finally gained control" Isaac almost didn't believe his ears. Derek never spoke that sincere to him. That was the weirdest part: sincerity. He actually sounded like he meant it.

"Ah, no problem," he replied and sat up. "How's Marie?"

"She's fine. Just tired. Like I am."

"What exactly happened?" he couldn't help but ask.

"I have no idea. All of a sudden, both of us shifted against our will. I think it may have to do with us being new mates, but I'm not sure. I've never heard of it happening before, but I'm also not very close with other packs." Isaac nodded in understanding, and his head felt as heavy as an anvil.

"What are you going to do?"

"I'll ask Matt about it tomorrow. Maybe he knows something."

"What about-"

"The last person I want to ask is my psychotic uncle."

"Fair enough." Isaac understood. Without another word, Derek left to return to Marie. Isaac sighed and rolled across his bed to plug in his cell phone. Watching the screen light up, he saw an unread message. His eyes lit up and he smiled at the name on the screen. _Lauren._


	9. Chapter 9

**_Edited 8/12/16_**

9

*Marie*

With the sun streaming through the shades, Marie wasn't sure what the time was. Her body felt sore from the forced shift, and her head was pounding. Attempting to sit up, she found Derek's arm wrapped around her midsection. At her movements, he stirred awake. "Hi," she greeted.

"How are you feeling?" he said half into his pillow. She could still hear the genuine concern in his voice.

"I'm fine. Just crazy tired. You?"

"I'm fine."

"I'm going to use the restroom." He nodded in response, and watched her grab a pair of sweatpants and a tank top to change into. She could feel his eyes on her bare body, and an excited shiver crept up her spine. Unfortunately, she was far too tired to act on it.

After freshening up in the bathroom, she found Derek sitting up in bed with his phone in his lap. "I asked your brother if he had any information about what happened last night. Says he'll call me in a bit," he explained.

"I hope he knows something. He never mentioned anything like it before, but maybe he can help," she replied optimistically. Derek's stomach growled and she couldn't hold back her chuckle. "How does some," she glanced at the alarm clock, "dinner sound?"

"Good. I'll be right out," he answered. She smiled and combed a hand through her hair as she left the bedroom. Isaac and Stiles were sitting on the couch when she entered the living room. Both guys were watching a lacrosse game on TV, but shifted their attention when she walked past.

"Hey, how are you and Derek?" Isaac asked.

"Tired," she said honestly. "And hungry." She continued walking to the kitchen.

"We can help," Stiles offered and they followed her.

"So do you know why you shifted last night?" the beta inquired.

"My brother might know something. Derek's going to talk to him."

"Oh," both of them said in unison. She began grabbing ingredients for some quick, simple food.

"Is the council going to come for you?" Stiles blurted out. She paused, turned, and shrugged her shoulders.

"Most likely. No reason to worry about it though. Derek and I are fully mated." She tapped her finger on the still sore mark at the base of her neck. She placed a cutting board on the counter and began assembling sandwiches. Her little niece Claire loved to help make sandwiches. Marie smiled at the memories of Claire "inventing" new ones for her and Matt to try. Her thoughts were brought back to the forced shift from the previous night at the mental image of her brother. She hoped he had answers.

A few moments later, Marie was seated with the boys in the living room. There were a few sandwiches saved on the table for Derek, who soon joined them. Marie noticed the tiny drops of water clinging to this raven black hair, and knew he'd just showered also. Sporting sweatpants similar to Isaac and Marie, he took a seat next to her and helped himself to some food. "What did Matt have to say?"

"He's got nothing," he gruffed in response.

"Oh," she sadly replied.

"What about new wolves? Are we still going to tonight for new pack members?" Isaac asked.

"I think Marie and I's problem from last night is a _little_ more important," Derek sarcastically remarked. "The safety of your Luna should take precedence over a potential new _she-wolf_ ," he continued. Isaac shrunk back at his words, and dropped the topic. She glared at him for snapping at the beta like that.

"I'm fine. We're all just tired, but he has a point. It's a lot harder for us to teach control to new wolves when we ourselves shifted," she addressed the group.

"Wait, hold up," Stiles raised his hand, "What's a Luna?"

"My god, haven't' you researched werewolves until your fingers go numb from typing?" Isaac joked. "It's a term. It refers to the Alpha's mate," he added with a satisfied look that he knew more than the notable, knowledgeable sheriff's son. Marie opened her mouth to explain, but the loft's door opened with an echo.

"Well, well, well," Peter Hale's voice rang. "Looks like you kids had a hell of a night. Well, except you Stiles. This kid is _everywhere_ ," he mumbled the last part.

"Oh god," Derek said next to her. "Why are you here?"

"A little puppy tells me that you and your lovely mate shifted last night. I also hear it wasn't by choice." Derek immediately glared at Stiles and Isaac.

"Scott may have mentioned…is how I found out…at the coffee shop this morning…" the only human in the room stumbled over his words. She watched her mate roll his eyes and face his uncle. While his gaze resembled power and anger, his appearance displayed the exact opposite. With a glare that could kill, she had to smile at the fact that he was wearing dark grey sweatpants and a t-shirt with a sports team logo. He appeared to be so normal, and could probably pass for a hung-over college student. However, his eyes told a drastically different story. The storming green irises held so many emotions she wasn't sure how to process all of them. She could see the tiredness from the previous night. Anger was present, most likely due to their situation with the hunters. A hint of worry for the impending visit from the council was visible too. There was also a familiar look of power, related to his status as an Alpha. His face was strained in annoyance, and she was pretty positive that was caused by Peter.

"What about it, do you know anything?" Derek demanded.

"I might," his uncle tempted.

"Aren't you going to share?" she spoke up.

"Maybe," he smiled.

"Cut the shit. Either tell us what you know or get the hell out." Derek clearly wasn't in the mood.

"Fine," he replied and grabbed a remaining sandwich from the coffee table. Between bites he began, "Unfortunately, you were probably too young to remember. We had a couple join our pack a while back, before all the fire and terror. Alex and Caroline. They ended up becoming mates just a few weeks after they joined us. They were actually friends of your fathers." She noticed how Derek's arm that was touching hers tensed up at the mention of his father.

"The first full moon they were with us, both Alex and his mate shifted against their will. They also were unable to shift back."

"Why?" Stiles questioned.

"I'm getting to that part," Peter rolled his eyes. "The following day, your dad did some digging. It turns out Alex was actually an Alpha. _Why_ he and Caroline wanted to join the Hale pack, I don't know. Your father suspected he was running from something. Maybe hunters, maybe something else."

"So the forced shift only happens to Alphas and their mates?" she asked.

"To my knowledge, yes. Because, once Alex confessed to being an Alpha, he and your dad found something. Apparently, the forced shift is an ancient survival instinct meant to promote expansion of the pack. It's not a 'for sure' science obviously, but from what happened back then and what happened last night, it's all the evidence we have."

"I don't get it," she said what everyone was most likely thinking, except Derek. He had a look of understanding on his face, but remained silent as Peter continued.

"Caroline was on birth control at the time, therefore preventing her from getting pregnant. If your dad and Alex's theory was right, you two will keep shifting against your will until Marie becomes pregnant." Her face turned beet red in embarrassment, and Stiles awkwardly looked at the ceiling. "Caroline was pregnant by the next full moon, and her and Alex never forcefully shifted again. Like I said, it's not an exact science, because she and Alex left the pack before the baby was born. So, there's no way of knowing more details. From your dad and Alex's understanding, the forced shift was an ancient way of encouraging the Alpha to mate with the Luna. Pregnant mate ensures survival and expansion of the pack. It makes sense, but it's just a theory."

Everyone remained silent, and Marie knew the other three werewolves could hear her heart racing. "Way to break it to us easy," Isaac remarked with a scoff.

"Just telling you what I know," Peter said as he finished off the sandwich. She was well aware that Derek could sense her nervousness, and she tried to control the redness of her face as the glanced at her.

"Well that's interesting," Stiles commented.

"Yes. It is," she answered in a tight voice and stood up abruptly. She marched towards the bedroom, wanting to be alone. It was an awful lot of information and changes to process in a matter of a few days. She bit her tongue trying to hold back her tears as she shut the door. Sitting down on the mattress, she cursed when she spotted the small package of birth control pills on her nightstand. Picking up the package, the tears spilled over and she couldn't control the shaking of her shoulders. It was all the council's fault. The thought brought her a tiny ounce of comfort. It was _their_ fault she had to be mated. It was _their_ fault she had a time limit to find a mate prior to the full moon and sacrifices. It was _their_ fault she had to leave Matt and Claire. _Their_ fault she had to deal with a bitchy teenage she-wolf who was disrespectful. _Their_ fault Derek would have to impregnate her at some point or they would suffer involuntary shifting each month. Her thoughts spiraled into anger and sadness as she thought about how little control she had over her own life.


	10. Chapter 10

10

*Derek*

Derek sat staring at his uncle in irritation. "Thanks a lot," he snapped. Peter feigned innocence and held his hand sup in defense.

"Don't kill the messenger."

"Yeah, I'm gonna take off," Stiles started. "Going to meet up with Scott." Soon, the loft was vacant of any human presence. All three guys could hear Marie's distraught and frustrated crying from the bedroom. Looking to his uncle, Derek _did_ notice a slight grimace. He hoped he felt bad for upsetting her. Nothing about their situation had been easy, and Derek knew the recent news was just adding to the stress. Without another word, he stood up and started towards the bedroom.

The sight of his mate upset and crying actually brought physical pain to his chest. He walked around the foot of the bed to the side she was sitting on. He saw her hands shaking as they held a birth control package. He silently squatted down in front of her and took the package from her grip. "Hey, it's going to be okay," he said. At his words, she cried harder and he set the package of pills on the nightstand. Gathering her in his arms, he held her as she cried. He continued to whisper words of reassurance in her ear as he rubbed his hand up and down her back. He swiftly positioned them so he was also sitting on the bed, leaning against the headboard with her in his lap. Her body shook from the sobs, and he figured her calm, cool, and collected composure finally broke as she allowed herself to cry about it. He could feel she wasn't just crying because of Peter's words, but she cried for the dangerous threat of hunters, for being taken from her family, and for having an arranged mating. He didn't blame her; anyone would feel hurt, frustrated, and angry. Hell, he felt like one of the council's puppets just knowing they would come investigating the town for unmated females. And so, he held her as her tears soaked his t-shirt.

"You can keep taking it. There's no rule that says we _have_ to have children. There's plenty of time. I'll go through as many forced shifts as you want," he tried to comfort her.

"That's not the point," she managed to choke out.

"I know."

* * *

*Marie*

She woke in the early hours of Sunday, and could see the sky begin to lighten. Her head moved up and down with the gentle rise and fall of the toned chest beneath her. Derek's arms held her close, even in his sleep. Her head felt heavy from the tears she had shed the night before, and she knew her eyes were red and puffy. Attempting to get up, his arms held her in place. "Derek," she whispered to wake him.

Before he could respond, Isaac burst through their bedroom door. "We've got some company," he anxiously explained. "They're parked outside," he added. Derek shot out of bed and nodded to the beta.

"Stay here," he instructed before changing into jeans and a clean shirt. She nodded and pulled the blanket closer to replace his comforting warmth. It wasn't near the same.

She heard the knock at the door and three sets of footsteps enter the loft. "Derek Hale," an unknown voice greeted. It was deep, and reminded her of a radio host's voice. "I'm sure you know the nature of our visit. Winter solstice coming requires us to gather unmated females."

"I'm aware."

"Are there any here or in your pack over the age of twenty?" Radio-voice inquired.

"No." It was silent for a few seconds after Derek's response. She wasn't sure what was happening, and clutched the blanket closer. The council was searching for unmated females to sacrifice their thanks to the Gods. She doubted they would just take Derek's word for it.

"I hear a third heartbeat. Who else is present?" a different voice asked. He sounded much older than Mr. Radio.

"My mate."

"Ah, I see. I'm sure you won't mind a quick verification then," Mr. Radio said with an excited tone. It was silent again, and she swore she could hear Derek's teeth grinding. "It's purely policy, and for our records, Alpha," Mr. Radio added. Her mate's silence continued, until a pair of footsteps sounded down the hallway. Her fingers gripped the blanket even tighter, and she held her breath.

To her surprise, Isaac opened the door and gestured for her to come with him. She could see the tension and fear in his eyes, probably similar looking to her own. She wanted nothing to do with the council, and wanted them gone and out of their loft. She reached the beta and attempted to give him a reassuring smile. She was pretty sure she'd failed.

"Ah, hello there," Mr. Radio greeted as they entered the entryway. She nodded in their direction and moved to stand next to Derek. The radio voice man was flanked by tow burley men, one of which she assumed mentioned hearing her heartbeat. ""What's your name?"

"Marie."

"Marie. A beautiful name. You are Alpha Hale's mate?" Radio-voice questioned.

"Yes." She was surprised by the amount of formality he used with titles.

"We need to be sure," the older one commented. At his statement, the third, quiet man moved forward. He looked the youngest, but was still built strong. Marie took a step back as he took a step towards her. Derek then moved in front of her with a growl.

"Terrance, don't be rude," Mr. Radio scolded, but she doubted he really meant it. "Please," he nodded to Derek as "Terrance" retreated. Her mate huffed in frustration, but moved to stand next to her. She was trying her hardest to look strong and maintain her pride, but inside she was shaking in terror. Casting a quick glance at Isaac off to the side showed her he wasn't very good at putting on a brave face either. The council was scary, and not something to mess around with.

Derek placed a hand on her lower back, and moved the other to the collar of her shirt. Lowering the material enough to expose the mark is teeth had left on her skin, he looked towards Mr. Radio. "Very well," he said after inspecting the mark from a distance. "The council wishes you and your mate happiness," he said with a forced smile. "And the other members of your pack? Are there more females?"

"One female, she's only seventeen."

"Thank you for your time, Alpha." With those parting words, the trio left. Isaac let out an exasperated breath.

"Holy crap. Thank god that's over," the young wolf said in a rush.

"It's done and over with," Derek stated. "That doesn't mean they won't be back for a different reason. They're nosy." She nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, I go that vibe," she muttered, half serious half sarcastic. She was also partially embarrassed that they actually wanted to see her mark. She understood why, as she assumed many lied about being mated. The council needed proof, but they sure as hell were insensitive about it. Derek turned to face her, and leaned in to kiss her. It wasn't a long kiss, but she could feel that it was a relieving kiss. She kissed back and placed her hand over his chest. "I don't know about you, but I'm in some serious need of a movie night," she addressed both of them. Derek nodded his head and slung an arm around her shoulders. He guided them to the couch where they cuddled up underneath a blanket. Isaac put a random movie on, and they watched in content silence.

* * *

The next day, Monday, she called her brother in the morning. He was pleased to hear the council's visit was over, and informed her that he'd bring Claire to visit soon. To her relief, he did not bring up the forced shifting from the full moon. Part of her wondered if Derek updated him and told him the subject was a sensitive one. The morning passed by quickly, and she soon found herself next to Derek on the couch. He was busy looking at a lap top, and she noted that he was searching house plans.

"Are we moving?" she asked in amusement. He let out a little laugh, and clicked on another link.

"I'm thinkin' about it. I've, _we_ ," he corrected himself, "have the property, we just need a house on it."

"It would be nice to have a yard again."

"It's got more than a yard. There's actual acreage right against a wildlife preserve," he explained.

"Really? Can we see it?"

"Sure," he smiled and shit the lap top.

Pulling up to the charred Hale house, Marie let out a gasp. "This is your property?"

"Technically, our property."

"What happened?" she asked. Her brother obviously had told her about the Hale fire, it was year ago. But, she wanted to learn from Derek, not the second hand story she'd heard.

"Hunters. Peter and I are the only survivors," he answered grimly.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"Me too."

"Can we look around?" he nodded and they got out of the car. Nearing the house she tried to push the sadness from her mind and instead envision a new home. "There are plenty of rooms, that's for sure," she commented as he pushed open the front door.

"I was thinking something with a lot of windows. At least for the entry ant living room area."

"That's a good idea," she agreed. It was odd, thinking she would be building a place to live with her _mate:_ The person she'd share her life with, run a pack with, laugh and cry with, and sometime have children with. Her thoughts returned to the touchy topic of pregnancy once more. She knew Derek wouldn't force her into anything. He'd let her keep taking her birth control, and they would in turn continue to involuntarily shift each full moon. That was given that his dad and Alex's theory was right. She quickly distracted herself with how convenient it would be to have a backyard forest to shift in. It would be a great location for their pack. It would be a great location for their pack. She couldn't wait to show Claire. "When were you thinking of starting?"

"Construction is going to be pretty time consuming. It would be best to start soon," he answered. She turned to face him and his harms wrapped around her.

"I think it will be great. I'm excited," she said and kissed him. Her kiss proved that she _was_ excited, and he was well aware. Smirking against her lips, he lifted her to straddle his wais as he carried them upstairs.


	11. Chapter 11

11

**Marie**

The following day, Matt brought Claire over to visit her in the afternoon. To say she was excited would have been a great understatement. She was overjoyed to see them. Claire clung to her leg, almost as if she was never going to let go. They had a nice visit, and Matt was relieved to hear that the council hadn't given them too much trouble. He also noted her mark, and asked how things were going.

"It's okay. Better than I expected, actually. Derek has some property outside of town, and we're thinking of building a new house out there."

"Wait, are you talking about his family's place? Where the fire happened?" he skeptically asked.

"Yeah. I know what happened there was awful, but that's why we're going to build something new. Plus, it's further away from the hunters." He nodded at her words, but didn't offer a response.

"Marie, do you have any stories?" Claire asked with wide, hopeful eyes.

"Sorry sweetie, I don't." She made a mental note to herself to pick up some book and toys next time she went to the store. She pushed her long hair out of her face and smiled down at her niece.

"Derek find anything out about the hunters? How much do they know about your pack?" he said in a hushed voice. Claire was occupied with some printer paper and markers, so she wasn't completely paying attention to them. It was still odd to Marie to think that Derek's pack was also now hers.

"Well, we've been a little busy with the full moon, and then the council. We know where they've been storing their weapons, but I'm not sure if they're a direct threat at this point."

"Don't be naïve, Marie. They aren't stupid. The second they find out the Hale pack has a Luna, they'll attack. They know your pack will expand and continue to grow. Plus, it doesn't help that you're practically living in their backyard!" his voice became more worried and strained.

The topic of their pack expanding was not one she wanted to discuss with her brother. That aside, it angered her that he raised his voice. Technically, she ranked higher than him with her new position as an Alpha's mate. She was a leader of a pack, at least her new mate was.

"Matt, I understand that it's not an ideal situation. I hate hunters as much as you do," she cast him a knowing look. "But, there's only so much in our control. I trust Derek to make the right decision, and you should too." He rolled his eyes at her words and pointed to her neck.

"You're just saying that because he marked you. That unyielding faith in him is the bond talking."

"What is wrong with you?" she accused with a glare. The _pleasant_ visit was not going as expected.

"Look, don't get me wrong. Derek is a great guy, one of _my_ friends, but he also hasn't had the same experience with hunters as I have," he tried to explain in a more gentle voice.

"You mean that _we_ have."

"No, Marie. _I_ remember every detail. _I_ remember trying to get you to stop crying so you'd sleep. _I_ was the one who had to take care of you, give you the best life I could, and I was just a kid," he said in a quieter voice.

"I'm sorry. I know. But Matt, living in the past will do no good. I trust that he can handle it. I'm just as frightened of hunters as you are, but I refuse to let that fear control me." The siblings stood facing each other in silence. She could hear the sounds of ink against paper as Claire colored, and the news channel on the TV. Their silence was interrupted as Derek and Isaac entered the loft. Derek looked surprised to see Matt, but smiled in greeting.

"Matt," he said as they shook hand.

"Hale," her brother responded and gave a nod towards Isaac.

"Who's here?" a high voice called.

"Come meet them," Marie answered her niece.

"Claire, this is Derek. He's my mate. That's Isaac." She waved her small hand at the two new werewolves, and gave a shy smile. Marie and Matt were always open with Claire about pack politics and supernatural society, though she wasn't sure how much the four-year-old understood.

"You live with him now?" she pointed at Derek.

"Yep."

"Hi," he smiled down at her.

"Nice to meet you Claire," Isaac said with a wave.

"He's really tall," the little girl whispered. Derek laughed and moved to put his arm around Marie.

"We better get going," her brother announced, much to Claire's obvious disappointment.

"No! Can we stay?"

"Come on, we have to get home."

"You're just saying that 'cause you and Marie are fighting," the little girl shot back. Derek looked to his mate in question, but she decided not to say anything.

"You can come back and visit us soon. I'll have some toys next time," she instead tried to appease her niece.

"Okay," Clair responded. She moved to hug Marie, and to his surprise, she hugged Derek too. "Bye." Her father picked her up and quietly left the loft.

"What was that about?" Isaac asked.

"We were just talking about the hunters," she answered. It unnerved her to let her brother leave angry, since they barely ever fought. However, she was upset and hurt that Matt didn't think Derek had everything under control. "Everything's fine, don't worry about it," she stated. Both guys decided not to challenge her statement, and instead changed the topic.

"We found a few potential pack members. One that Isaac happens to be pretty friendly with," Derek sighed as he tossed his keys onto the counter.

"Oh really?" she answered.

"Yes. Lauren. She's a grade younger."

"Does she seem nice?" she sincerely hoped the new recruit would be friendlier than Erica.

"Yes. She's great," the younger guy responded.

"We've also got a Nick, Chuck, and Ian."

"Why all guys?"

"Guys are easier if bitten versus born. Females are much more hormonal," her mate smiled, "and males listen to an Alpha better." She rolled her eyes.

"I'm not sure how accurate that is," she teased.

"Besides, we need the brute strength. Stronger pack," he concluded.

"And we sure as hell don't need another Erica," Isaac muttered under his breath.

They all chuckled at his comment, knowing very well how emotionally driven Erica was. Marie knew that it was more common for males to be bitten instead of females, but did not know it was related to their hormones. She hoped at least a few more girls would join the pack later on.

"Hopefully we can have them turned by the next full moon. We would have at least a few weeks to train and get the basics down." Erica and Boyd interrupted their discussion.

"Who was that delectable visitor?" she questioned.

"The _man_ ," Marie began and emphasized the word 'man' to indicate his age, "that just left is my brother."

"Well isn't he an eye catcher," the teen drawled and inspected her apple red fingernails.

"Oh my god," Marie mumbled in irritation. She was already in a sour mood from the argument she'd had with Matt. The last thing she needed was Erica trying to seduce her brother.

"Well, are we training today or what?" Boyd chimed in. Marie had come to learn that Boyd really enjoyed training sessions. He never complained, took Derek's advice seriously, and had a much more positive attitude than Scott or Erica about it.

The Alpha nodded in response and moved towards the empty space of the loft. "Is Scott coming?"

"I can ask him," Marie answered. She pulled out her phone and texted him.

 _Marie: Are you coming to train? We're at the loft.  
Scott: Not today. Lacrosse practice._

"Isaac, are you missing lacrosse practice?"

"Shit," the teenager cursed and in under a minute was standing in front of her holding his lacrosse bag and stick. "Can you give me a ride? Please?" he asked in a desperate voice.

"Yes," she smiled and grabbed her keys. "I'll be right back," she called to the group before leaving.

* * *

Arriving at the school parking lot, Isaac smiled at her in thanks before rushing to the locker room to change into his uniform. She glanced over at the field and immediately spotted Scott and Stiles. As the boys ran around in their maroon uniforms, she wondered if they were actually any good. So caught up in werewolf problems caused a disconnect with the normal world. She pondered on the idea of going to see one of their games. She wasn't sure that would be something Derek would be interested in, but it was worth asking. Sighing, she pulled out of the parking lot and returned to the loft. As she entered, she saw Derek throwing Boyd across the room. "Again!" he shouted. "You need to learn faster if we're going to expand. I can't be there to hold your hand forever. I need you to help me teach the new wolves," he explained.

"What about her?" Erica asked him as Marie walked over to them.

"She serves a different purpose," Derek quietly answered. "And, she can only help so much. We can't be 10 places at once." Marie automatically knew the "different purpose" she served. It both angered and pleased her. An Alpha's mate contributed to _expanding_ the pack, yes, but also did many other things. She was meant to comfort, nurture, and support the pack. She'd already demonstrated those instincts on the last full moon by comforting Scott. Expecting to have children with Derek to increase pack strength and numbers angered her. Especially with the added issue of Mother Nature's forced shifting, she was livid at the lack of control she had over her life. However, being able to bring comfort and relief to others was the part that made her happy. Just her presence being able to provide support made her feel valued, important, and fulfilled. That's what being the Luna was supposed to feel like.

"A different purpose?" Erica asked. "And what purpose is that? The pack whore?" Derek's eyes instantly shown red, and he moved to grab her but Marie intercepted.

She clamped her clawed hand around the young woman's neck and slammed her against a concrete pillar. "Don't think for one second that you have any idea what you're talking about," Marie started. "I've had a lot of patience with you, but I'm about out." Erica's eyes changed and she tried to snap her elongated teeth at Marie but failed. "I gave you the benefit of the doubt, given that you were bitten instead of born. But I'm having a rough day and really don't have the time for this. So let me educate you on proper pack etiquette," she threw the girl across the room with a force that surprised even Derek. "When somebody outranks you, show them some respect. I've been nothing but kind to you, so cut the immature attitude and grow up. The rivalry should be with the hunters who might kill you! _Not_ with your pack. We're supposed to stick together, not tear each other down."

Erica looked across the loft at her, and she could see fear, shame, and still anger in the teenager's wide eyes.

"Shit," Boyd muttered under his breath. It looked like Erica was going to make a defensive remark, but Marie raising an eyebrow silence her.

"Alright, come on let's keep going," Derek attempted to diffuse the situation and move on. He couldn't help but wink towards Marie. At his words, the beaten down teen reluctantly stood and then began to move towards the door. "What are you doing?"

"I'm leaving," she snarled out.

Boyd rolled his eyes and Derek said, "What? Because your Luna finally speaks her mind you're going to leave and go pout? You had that coming. _I_ am your Alpha. You need to respect me _and_ what's mine," he calmly explained. Marie could tell that even though Derek was speaking in a calm, even tone, his Alpha instincts were shining through. She guessed that he was also probably very frustrated with Erica and her recent behavior in general.

"Since she came you've completely ignored the rest of us," she pointed a finger in Marie's direction.

"That's not true," Boyd spoke up.

"So that's what's bothering you. Erica, Derek' won't stop being your Alpha because I'm his mate. He and _I_ care about all of you. I'm not trying to take up his attention," Marie tried to reason. She had simmered down from her outburst, and of course her instinct was kicking in to comfort her.

"You're not hogging my attention. Erica, you don't understand the situation. This is the way packs function," Derek started.

"That's not fair," she interrupted him.

"You're just mad that he won't be with _you_ now," Boyd said in an exhausted voice.

"What?" Derek questioned. Realization clicked into place as Marie understood the true nature of Erica's behavior. She wanted to be with Derek. She wanted Marie out of the picture.

An awkward silence fell over the loft, and Derek looked directly at his mate. They both cane to the realization of Erica's feelings at the same time. She nodded her head to him, indicating that it was his issue to acknowledge. As Derek turned to face Erica, the teen shook her head and walked out the door.

* * *

**Derek**

It wasn't like he was unaware of Erica's attraction to him, but he figured he let it go once he mated with Marie. Plus, he always had the suspicion there was something going on with her and Boyd. After the revelation of her feelings, the three remaining wolves stood in silence for a few moments.

"Now I feel bad," Marie sheepishly admitted.

"Don't. It's not like she's been an angel to your. Much less, the sour mood Isaac and I have had to deal with," Boyd tried to reassure her.

"She'll come around," Derek reasoned. "But after that, I think training is done for the day."

"Yeah," Marie agreed with him. He was sure having an argument with her brother, which he still didn't have many details about, and dealing with the teenage drama all in a matter of hours was mentally draining for her.

"When is Isaac's practice over?"

"He told me that Stiles could bring him back," she answered.

"Well, Boyd, any chance you want to take a sledge hammer to a burnt up house?" he asked.

The boy looked at him in confusion until Marie placed her hand on his shoulder and said, "We're tearing down the old house." At the thought of smashing stuff to pieces, Boyd smiled.

The trio actually enjoyed smashing up the house, and even started wrestling around. His instructions of "everything goes" were followed as they destroyed the staircase together. For just a mere second, he let himself mourn the house and its memories. The addition of Marie in his life, and role as Alpha, fueled him to start new. Her presence, and the smile on her face, gave him the courage to put the past behind him. Even though their mating had been arranged he thought he benefited from it just as much as she did.

He smiled at her as he watched her and Boyd smash the railing. He would definitely need to order a dumpster to dispose of the house's remnants. They made quick work of tearing apart the walls, ripped our wiring, and completely destroyed the roof. By 10pm the entire second story and staircase no longer existed.

"So you're building a new house then?" Boyd questioned.

"Yep," Marie answered as she shook some dust from her hair.

"How many rooms are you going to build?" Derek caught on to what he was getting at.

"There will be plenty of room for you," he reassured him. Boyd smiled in response and nodded.


End file.
